Vegetarian Recipe Blog

Let me start with a question before I start off with the recipe. You borrow a cookbook from the library, you find about 10 recipes that you like and plan to try them in coming weeks. Ok, so you need to refer them in days to come. What do you do?

You write down all the 10 recipes in a notebook verbatim.

You make some shorthand notes of the recipes. (which only you understand :-))

Go online and buy that book.

Other ( I would be interested in knowing this option)

OK, so I borrowed this Pillsbury Bake-Off Book from the library few weeks ago and liked some recipes. So I kept thinking how do I store these recipes so that I could reference them in the future? Scanning was out of question as it was a hard cover and a thick book. I was hoping that I had found this recipe online rather than in a book.

I kid you not when I say that for about 30 minutes (maybe even more) or so, it did not occur to me that I could actually write down these recipes in my diary. When the thought dawned, it was a sense of déjà vu about writing. Frankly it has been ages since I wrote something decent in a book with a pen (No, scribbling the meeting notes, making references at work does not count). Everything is done online, through the computer, searching, bookmarking recipes etc.

Gone are those days when I used to write dozens of sheets during the exams, sitting at a stretch for 3 hours (or was it four) churning out answers after answers. Ok that was a decade ago and now for the past 3-4 years I have lost my writing touch.

So what did you with those recipes, you ask? Thanks for asking, but I returned the library book, without writing one single line; hoping that one fine day I might find that book again and try other recipes. Sigh!

OK back to the recipe. I found this recipe in the Pillsbury Bake-Off Book. This is an easy one, more so because of the usage of the store-brought pizza crust. I have not tried making the pizza dough from scratch yet. Not very healthy mind you, because of the usage of AP flour and the fat, but then it has some good herbs, tomato ect. So this is a semi-homemade, semi-healthy flatbread recipe. But we loved the taste and tastes good only when it is hot from the oven. If it cools down then it does not have that fresh, crisp taste. Good one for a quick snack, as an appetizer and a crowd pleaser too. Our son also had a slice of this and loved it.

Note to self: Make sure that the un-rolled dough is pressed and made as flat as possible, especially in the center. Otherwise the dough will puff up like a pizza while baking and will have a hard time to fit itself in the category of Flatbread.

While writing this post, I found that this recipe exists online too. Duh, why didn’t I think of this before?

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31 comments

I can totally relate on this with you Supriya. I borrow so many books and give it back just like that. Sometimes I do write and my handwriting is so bad these days. I’m actually very sad about this because I was known very well for my good handwriting.

Sometimes I make a copy; sometimes check the website of the book/co and search for recipes (that’s how I discovered Taste of Home website and they have a huge collection of recipes including ones from the books published by them).

I too have not prepared pizza dough from scratch; was using the frozen dough only. Now I use whole wheat pita breads to make pizza.

Flat bread looks great. Yeah, Its been a long time since I have written sheets & sheets of papers. My hand now hurts to write a single sheet of paper.
I fall into the 2nd but before that I `d extend the date online and keep the book until the day I finally have to return.

The last time I was writing by hand was when I was a journalist, a single girl working in Mumbai. That was a decade ago. Haven’t written much since then on paper.
I do jot down ingredients on paper if I am copying them from a website or from your blog :). But that is just so I remember them better that way and have them in front of me when I prepare.
As to borrowing library cookbooks, I have stopped doing that a long time ago. Net is such good source of recipes, cookbooks are getting a little bit redundant. When I do buy them, it is usually at Half Price Books or garage sales.
I am loving your flatbread topping. I have never bought the Pillsbury frozen dough. What I buy is the dry flour mix for pizzas. It is less work than making it from scratch and takes less time to rise than the one from scratch.

I will give the 4 opti which I do the most often:
1) Scan and save a pdf file (soft copy)
2) Little expensive if u don’t own: scan pen- The pen scan and type 4 u (very impressive and amazing)
That is lovely flatbread !

Thanks Madhuram. I am glad I am in the same boat. Hey, long time ago I used to have a good writing too. Now I harldy write. In fact, DH and myslef harldy have idea about how our writings exactly look.I will look at the Taste of Home website and keep looking onlne.

Thanks Rachael. That is a good piece of advise. I will keep that in mind.

Mala thanks a bunch. Now that is one of the coolest idea I have come across. You know how stero-typed I am, I can think of taking pictures only the people or food. It never stuck to me that I can take a picture of the recipe from the book. Very very clever idea.

Thanks Pavithra. So glad you liked it. This was my top choice from that book.

Thanks Cilantro. I know what you mean, the other day I had to write a letter to the bank (the printer was not working)and you can imagine how much I have groaned about writing 🙁
I tried to extend the book, but soembody else had put it on hold and could not exend it. 🙁

Thanks Jaya.Same here, it has been a decade since I wrote anything decent.
You know the reason why I borrow from library, so that I can sit and stare at those pictures. Of course, when I borrow I make sure there are plenty of pictures. No pictures means no borrowing how ever good be the recipes 🙂

We loved the flatbread too, with all the herbs in it kind of tasted like rosemary bread. I have never tried the pizzas with dry flour.

I know what you mean. I looked at this recipe in the library I think (forget where) and at that moment it seemed very clear in my head at least what goes into it and where to find the recipe if I needed it. A day later I want the recipe bad, don’t know the name nor where I found it and I am still searching. As for the book in the library, it was a magazine but a different recipe, the book is gone. Moral: use your hands more.

I never get time to read through a book anymore. I used to get books and write down recipes too (that seems like a decade back).

This is looks so good Supriya. Can’t wait to use this. I have not used the ready made doughs, but have got doughs from pizzeria’s to get home. Love the lighting in the pictures. I guess with a dough like this, you can do so much. Great for appetizers for a party when cut into bite size and for kids too!

I hear ya on getting books from the library. I do that all the time and have on several instances actually written down recipes I liked ( tiring work, I tell u, especially since I haven’t written after my post grad exams)
I do not often buy books for the simple reason that we are not sure where we will be in the near future and books are too precious not to take along but do add to the weight.. sigh!

this is interesting….I can’t go without leaving comment…first of all bread looks yummy….now for library, always bring more books than I can carry….first 2 weeks don’t touch them then renew them when it’s the last day agian try to renew if succeed fine otherwise try to scan & save in computer. If not note down the name of the book for future…..

Past weekend got a baking book & while watching T.v marked atleast 25 or more recipes(by inserting little paper scraps)& hubby dear made fun of me that the recipes u don’t want u should mark those to make your work easy…..ha…

If I find something in print that I want to keep a copy of, I go online to look for a version of it. With all the food bloggers around 😉 I am usually successful. Then I copy it and store it with my online recipe files. It is so nice not to have all of those pages ripped out from magazines all over my house!